1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to temporary barriers utilized for channeling of vehicles and protection of workers along roads. More particularly, this invention pertains to movable energy-absorbing barriers having a plurality of configurations providing multiple levels of collision protection.
2. Description of the Related Art
Safety barriers are utilized along roadways and near building construction sites to channel vehicles past construction areas in order to minimize vehicle intrusion into worker occupied areas for protection of workers from vehicle impacts. Prior safety barriers typically include portable containers composed of semi-rigid plastic material formed into various shapes that are generally light-weight for transport between work sites, but can be filled with sand or water during use as a stationary barrier. Prior elongated safety barriers include end portions that are generally planar to allow end-to-end positioning of rectangular shaped barriers. A vehicle can penetrate through a line of prior safety barriers at any uncoupled end junction upon impact at or near the end junction, with a significant risk of intrusion into a worker occupied area.
A prior art safety barrier is illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, with the barrier including differently configured, opposed end surfaces that must mate with a second barrier end having a reversed configuration. The differently configured first end and second end surfaces of the prior art barriers typically require an end post or a locking pin to be manipulated through a second end slot or hole of a second barrier end. If the supporting surface is uneven, such as broken pavement, the first barrier end post or locking pin may not fit into an inadequately mated second end slot or hole. A vehicle impacting the prior art barriers positioned end-to-end can break through at the inadequately mated barrier ends without a significant amount of energy absorption by either end of the prior art barriers. Therefore, a vehicle can penetrate through the prior art barriers and into a worker occupied zone while retaining significant momentum.
A protection barrier system is needed that provides rapid assembly and disassembly of like-configured barrier ends, regardless of barrier length and without assembly disruption due to uneven supporting surfaces. There is a need for a protection barrier system that includes a barrier having side wall surfaces which distribute the force of a side impact along the side wall surfaces to minimize breaching of the barrier. A further need is a barrier system which supports a supplemental energy-absorbing system utilized with a plurality of like-configured nested barriers to provide energy-absorption and impact force distribution over numerous side wall surfaces of the plurality of like-configured nested barriers.